Getting back out of the tunnel was a challenge because of the incline.

Neo was such a pill, she skipped right up there like a monkey and waved her scroll light at them to hurry up.

"How about some help, Twinkle Toes?" Mercury yelled.

They used the chain to drag themselves up. It was faster than crawling or using blades but still hurt their arms.

It annoyed Mercury that Oscar did better than he or Emerald did by a long shot; he was almost as fast as Neo.

"Dang, Oscar, slow down," Emerald called when he'd gotten up 25 feet at least.

"Why are you two moving so slow?" Oscar looked back, trying not to drop his scroll.

"One of us has metal feet," Emerald said. "And I didn't exactly do climbing as part of my parkour!"

Neo made some motion.

"When I get up there, you're dead," Mercury said.

Neo turned into Theo and motioned at them to shut up.

Then she turned her scroll off.

They all did too and held their breath.

The tunnels carried sound really well; they heard creaking as some panel or door slipped open and then footsteps.

Then it was quiet.

Neo turned her light back on and made some motions like feet walking away.

Oscar let out a sigh. "That was close..." he said.

Emerald muttered, "This ground isn't really stable either."

She took another step, and a big rock just gave way.

"Ow!" she yelped, as the chain cut into her arm and she hit her head on the rock wall. She lost her grip on the chain and started to slip back down.

Mercury slid a little farther down and grabbed her arm in the nick of time before she slid out of the light.

"Are you okay?" Oscar called.

"That hurt..." Emerald moaned. "A lot..." She tried to scramble up, and it made her slip more.

"Ow, stop it!" Mercury said. "This chain is digging into my hand."

"Do you need help?" Oscar called.

"Normally I could lift this much, but she's kind of at the worst possible angle to get leverage," Mercury said.

"Wait a second, I'll hold my cane out," Oscar said.

"Where's my scroll?" Emerald realized she'd dropped it again.

"I don't know. Maybe Ice Cream Girl should try calling it," Mercury said.

Neo rolled her eyes but did so. It lit up a few feet down the slope from Mercury.

Oscar was sliding back down.

"If you just let me fall I could find my way back up," Emerald said.

"That could take a while without light," Mercury said. "There's ours, but this is just faster. Geez, Em, you just had to look down, didn't you?"

"Actually, it was that I didn't look down, and this already hurts enough without your crap," Emerald said, gritting her teeth.

"Almost there." Oscar slid the rest of the way down. "Emerald, can you reach my cane?"

"A little farther." Emerald could barely see it. She tried to stand up and get some momentum. Finally she got the end of it, and Oscar yanked hard and pulled her so far up she almost tripped over Mercury, but Oscar grabbed her arm and pulled her in.

"How is a scrawny kid like you that strong?" Emerald said, grabbing the chain and taking some deep breaths.

"I used to work on a farm. I had to lift heavy stuff all the time," Oscar said. [I've seen a farmer beat a trained body builder type on TV. Don't underestimate them.]

"I got the d--- scroll." Mercury handed it to Emerald. "If we can avoid any more interruptions, maybe we can get out of this."

They managed to get the rest of the way up. Just at the top, Mercury let go and stepped up over the lip of the drop, only to have that give way too.

Emerald grabbed him and yanked him the rest of the way up.

"I guess we're even now," she said. "Also ow." She rubbed her arm.

"Yeah, but you almost pulled my arm out of its socket," Mercury said.

"Nice catch though," Oscar said. "Both of you. I guess you really are a team. It must be nice to have a partner."

"I'm sort of your partner," Ozpin said.

"No, you're not," Oscar said.

"You said that out loud again," Emerald said.

"Oh," Oscar said.

"Maybe it's good though," Emerald offered. "Maybe that means you're not merging."

"Maybe," Oscar said. "At least that makes me feel a little less insane."

"You sound more insane, but if you feel better, I guess who cares?" Mercury said dryly.

Neo motioned at them.

"All right, all right, we're moving," Mercury said.

"All the same," Emerald said to Oscar behind him, "I'm glad he joined us. I told you guys it would work out."

"Yeah," Oscar said.

Mercury frowned to himself. They were just so dumb. How did these people live with themselves?

* * *

Victoria ended her expositional monologue to Yang after a few minutes. "I think my machine is all loaded now."

"What did you do with her?" Yang asked.

"You want to see?" Victoria said. "This is going to be interesting. Here." She moved a toggle, and Yang's glass container moved upwards a little so she was about 8 feet off the ground and now able to see over any other boxes.

Raven was in a similar tank at the other end of the room. Only this one was much more outfitted with other gadgets along it, and the back was metal, not glass.

"This glass is pretty much unbreakable," Victoria said, "in case you were wondering. Not that you could do it without your semblance anyway."

"You know, if your research is so special like you were saying, why not tell the world about this?" Yang asked, leaning on the edge of the glass. "Why do you need magic?"

"When I'm ready, I intend to share all this," Victoria said. "But you know, not everyone is as open-minded as I'd like. Some people think that messing with dust is unethical because of its nature. Some people think dust is too dangerous to mess with. I need real success...and some of it is just in the testing stage even now."

She walked over to Raven. "But hey, if you want some upgrades, Goldie, say the word. We can start trying to find your limit today."

"I'm not taking anything from you," Yang said. "You psycho! You should let my mother and me go."

"Now she's your mother?" Victoria said. "Don't think I didn't notice that earlier... You two aren't on the best of terms, are you? I feel a bit sorry for Raven, even if she's a traitor. I don't know what I'd do if my own son didn't want anything to do with me."

"You've got that backwards," Yang said. "She left me."

"She left Ozpin," Victoria said, "and your father. But did she really leave you? What about that 'one save' rule? I can't help but feel a little involved now."

Raven opened one eye.

"You witch," she said, pushing herself up. "What did you do to me?"

"Not bad timing." Victoria checked her watch. "I think that only took half an hour. I see you and your daughter have the same metabolism and endurance, Raven. Even if you weren't magic, I really could do something with you...but then you'd have it your way. You always didn't like change."

"I've seen you before." Raven suddenly sat up, though it must have made her head pound to do so. "I never met you, but, I remember, you were hanging around this dump one time with Henry. You used to be a student."

"Before I discovered my true calling, yes," Victoria said. "But that was a long time ago. By the time you saw me I was just visiting the old fellow. Henry and I were great pals."

"He should have known better than to talk," Raven said, tersely.

"Yes...well, he was getting a bit senile in his later years," Victoria said. "I knew he never should have gone on that last mission, but he was so distraught over it, he said Ozpin and Qrow would never forgive him if he didn't get her back."

"Her?" Raven stood up and almost fell back over, but then she leaned on the glass and glared at Victoria. "Summer Rose?"

"Very good. Wow, even after being drugged." Victoria started typing some stuff into her keypad. "Yes, Summer Rose. What was it, 13 years ago now must have been?... I know her daughter was just a kid. Yours must have only been about 5, right? I've heard Ruby is the spitting image of her."

"Cut the crap. What did you know about Summer?" Raven said.

"So she really never told any of you?" Victoria said, a bit puzzled. "Strange. But it's not really my story to tell. I don't know that much anyway. Vienta probably knew more about it, but she's dead..."

"The last Summer Maiden," Raven said. "The one before this new one... I never met her."

"No, you wouldn't have been working for Oz anymore by then," Victoria mused. "But Henry and her were friends. They kind of had to be. I even think he might have been a bit sweet on her. You know, like uncle like nephew, I suppose there. I'm not sure she reciprocated though. Maidens often don't have much time for personal lives, as you well know. I can't really say what it all had to do with Summer Rose. All I know is she visited Vacuo right before she disappeared and presumably died, whether it was to get advice or a lead or some other reason. All I know is Henry felt responsible when she left, and he went after her. I heard the poor man never made it past the border of Vacuo before the grimm...well, you know."

Raven swallowed. "Are you telling me there's another betrayal in this mess? What is this, a game of poker to you people?"

"Aren't you a fine one to talk?" Victoria said. "I never betrayed anyone, thank you very much. I've been on the same side. I can't believe you, Raven, handing off your own kin and your friends to Salem's goons like you did in Haven. Once Theo swore up and down that you and Qrow would be loyal friends. I hoped we'd work together once, and instead you go and throw everything on a gamble like that? If it was a gamble...didn't work out, did it? They torched your camp. I heard the whole thing. How does failure feel to you?"

Raven smacked her fist into the glass--which only hurt her.

"Leave them out of this," she said tightly.

"What are you going to do about it?" Victoria said. "Cry? Go ahead, I don't care."

She made some more adjustments. "Now for our first test... Would you mind if I took a blood sample? I like to cover the basics."

"You didn't do it while I was out?" Raven said.

"Of course I did," Victoria said. "But I find the results while the magic is active are more clear. I'd like two, but I need your cooperation for it--at least I would prefer it."

"No," Raven said.

Yang had a moment of almost feeling proud of her--at least she wasn't that big of a coward.

"Raven, do you really want me to have to do this the hard way?" Victoria looked up, with a frightening look of indifference.

"Go frick yourself." Raven stepped back from the glass wall.

"I hate doing things the hard way." Victoria pressed a button.

Out of some hole in the back wall of the tank, claw arms shot out at Raven, who dodged them and tried to turn into bird--but apparently the drug wasn't worn off yet, because all that happened was a few feathers popped out of nowhere.

Raven got as far away from the claws as she could and ducked, but they could reach far enough, and they kept coming, like they were magically drawn to her.

"Magic detecting claws." Victoria looked at Yang, who was watching in horror. "Got the idea from the Grimm. It's surprisingly not that hard. They also detect Aura."

Raven did a decent job of holding her own, but finally she made a mistake--and the claw clamped around her and yanked her into the back wall.

"Stop it!" She struggled. "Stupid b----! Let me go!"

She strained wildly, but another thing popped out of the wall, that was for drawing blood, and proceeded to take a sample.

Yang couldn't watch that part. She was squeamish.

"Oh, stop squirming, you're only making it hurt more," Victoria said, frowning. "This doesn't have to be painful, you know, if you'd quit getting so excited. You're being a real baby about this, Raven."

"I'll kill you," Raven said. "When I get out of this, I'm going to shove one of these down your throat."

"Quite a threat coming from the person who can't even turn into a bird," Victoria said coolly. "Now, are you going to be a b---- about the rest of these tests, or can I do my job in peace?"

"You're sick!" Yang yelled at her.

"Yang?" Raven looked up. "What is she doing in there? What are you doing to her?"

"Nothing at all," Victoria said. "But I didn't like to leave her alone in the other room, tied to the wall. Look, see? It's much more comfortable in there. She's got a nice sofa and everything... Oh, by the way, girl, if you have to go to the bathroom, there's a valve just at the bottom of the tank."

"I'm not going to do that while you're watching!" Yang said.

"I won't look," Victoria said amiably. "But it doesn't matter. I'm a doctor. I don't see people the same way. Why, my son--but that's not a conversation for right now."

"Ew." Raven made a face. "At least Bandits have the decency to go in the bushes and not talk about it. What's wrong with you?"

"I think there's something wrong with anyone who feels so chary about an act of nature," Victoria said. "Oh, if you have to go, just let me know."

"I'd rather die," Raven said.

"Well, that could be arranged if you persist in that way of thinking," Victoria said. "Stupid woman. Now, I already took some X-rays, but if you could activate enough magic for me to scan, that would be helpful. Some hair samples would be also."

"Not happening," Raven said.

"This is going to be all day, isn't it?" Victoria said, resignedly. "Branwens are so stubborn. And for what? It's only hurting you more."

"Maybe there are some things that are too grotesque to submit to, no matter how pointless it is to resist," Raven said.

"Hmm. I wonder if people thought that when the Bandit Camps would come in and destroy their villages and then leave them for the Grimm." Victoria clearly was not over that. "Honestly, I don't even know why I want to go easy on you at all--you probably deserve this and then some. But then, while your kid is watching, it might be a little cruel to really be harmful."

"I never said I want to watch this," Yang called. "Let me out of here."

"If you want to be moved again, you'll have to wait a bit," Victoria said. "This is a delicate process. I can't waste too much time. So let me see..."

Something that looked like a probe came out of the wall.

Raven struggled yet again to break free. "What is that?" 

"This does the opposite of the drug." Victoria wasn't even looking up. "It stimulates the magical powers of the object. I admit, I haven't tested it live, since Vara is kind of a tricky patient, but I'm pretty sure it works. It worked on the tests--until they fizzled out. But on you, a live subject, it should work just fine. I need to activate your Maiden powers so that I can scan you, if you won't do it yourself."

Raven had to be wondering whether it was more humiliating to cooperate or to resist.

The probe worked like some kind of shock.

It really wasn't that painful, even so, but the effort to generate magic itself could be quite exhausting.

Raven flinched anyway.

Then she turned into a bird.

"Oops," Victoria said. "I guess I didn't figure that that might be easier...but you know what? I can work with this."

She started taking scans of it.

Yang didn't want to know anymore. She looked away.

This was so awful...someone being treated like a toy... What was wrong with Victoria? How could she do that to someone?

But she did it to her own son... Why not a stranger?

Maybe it was okay, though--it didn't seem like it was that harmful...

30 minutes later, Yang had decided that that didn't matter.

Victoria had turned Raven from bird to human several times in that time, marking the difference on some kind of thing that was like a heart monitor but for magic apparently.

She also had finally got her to activate her Maiden powers, though only slightly.

Raven was drained from the effort. Still, at one point she felt more angry at Victoria than she felt humiliated.

"Are you done yet?" she finally said wearily.

"Your Aura is," Victoria said. "So for now, yes. Anyway I have to go start these tests. Don't go anywhere." She laughed at her own bad joke and walked away to a different part of the room... She was still well within line of view though.

Raven, finally released, sat down against the wall of the tank and sighed.

Yang turned around.

"I guess you feel pretty stupid," she said, "rushing here like this without a plan."

Raven laughed without any mirth whatsoever. "Not my brightest moment," she sighed. "But then, who's ever heard of this kind of thing? Know your opponent, first rule of any fight... I always scouted ahead for the tribe on an attack, never made a move we weren't ready for. Now look at me, I'm acting like Qrow."

"Why did you come?" Yang had to know--before something worse happened. "I thought we each only got one save."

"I made that rule before I found out about Victoria Kanap," Raven said.

That probably wasn't the real reason, and Yang frowned. "Fine, don't tell me," she huffed. "Not like it matters anyway. We're still stuck here. Hey though, in a way, this is the most time we've ever spent together, so..."

Well, that jab wasn't at all necessary, but she couldn't help but think it.

Raven glanced upward.

"You know, after you took the Lamp, I was pretty sure I'd never see you again," she said, not as if that thought made her sad. "I thought that was it. Atlas would go down just like Beacon. But then, you made a choice. No one else made it for you. No one ever listens to my warnings...but then you all used the Lamp, you found out the truth, and you still went there. Likstar told me what happened. Why would anyone do that who knew the whole thing was a lie? Some idea of it being the noble thing to do, I guess. You know, no one could have paid me any amount of money to come see it for myself. Makes me sick, even thinking about it."

Yang frowned at her angrily.

"But then I had to know what they were on about," Raven said slowly, "those two strangers... I had to find out the truth. They played me so easily. They knew I wouldn't be able to resist that. And hey, I got my answers--for once without having to go behind someone's back to get them--and I still didn't like them. But could I go back? no...Salem made sure of that. It really does start to seem like our fates are determined for us before we're even born. Or like more powerful people pull the strings and decide what we'll do, for us, and there is nothing we can do to stop them. I even told Schnee that, today...or yesterday--who knows by now?.... But she's determined to keep trying no matter what. I guess that's admirable in a way, but don't expect me to call it wise. You want to know why I'm here? I guess, to put it simply, I can't defeat Salem, but someone who challenges me, who I think I could beat, I'm not just going to take that. She's taunting me now. This is not about you, Yang, it's about me. They want to punish me for leaving. For being right, probably, too."

"You really still think it's about you?" Yang scoffed. "My gosh...how can you be so self-absorbed? This isn't about you, or me, or anyone else except them. They just want to...get what they want. They don't care what they do to get there."

"But why single out me?" Raven said. "I'm the lone wolf now, the one who lost the pack. It's always the way--outside of numbers, we all get picked off. I knew this as soon as I saw what happened to the tribe. I admit, I didn't expect it to be this way. Not sure I like this better than what Salem does."

"So running away didn't end up working out," Yang said flatly. "Well, hey, I'm sorry. I really thought taking that Lamp would keep you in the clear. But I guess not. I guess we can't really run from Salem."

She laughed bitterly. "I mean, I thought maybe just staying in that other world could do it. But who knows? She'd likely find some way to go there too. Destroy it. Well, there's no beating her, and there's no running from her. We really are screwed."

"That doesn't sound like you," Raven said flatly. "That sounds like me."

"So what? According to you, that just makes me smarter, right?" Yang said. "I mean, not smart enough not to get myself kidnapped." She paced around her cell. "I never should have gone off on my own."

"You went off on your own?" Raven said angrily. "Are you crazy?!"

"Like you said, lone wolf," Yang said. "Hey, Dad was right I guess. Maybe both of us are the same...except I didn't abandon everyone else... I chose to stick with them, even when I thought it was stupid."

"I suppose that's noble," Raven said. "And it's not any wiser to fight a losing battle than it is to leave it. Just one is more acceptable to your friends. Tell me, Yang, did you stay with them because you really believed it was the right thing to do? Or because you were afraid to defy them and to leave them because you didn't want to be seen as 'that person'?"

Yang paused.

She clenched one fist. "That's stupid," she said. "Of course it was the right thing to do."

"But did you really do it because it was the right thing?" Raven said. "Or was it out of fear?"

Yang bit her lip.

"Maybe you and I are alike," Raven said. "We're tough, but we're not so brave. We just fear different things. Maybe it makes sense. You grew up with a loving family and a goal to be something people see as a hero. I grew up fighting to survive, without many people I could trust, so that's not particularly important to me. It doesn't bother me to lose it nearly as much as to think I'm being taken in. You hold up different things as worth fighting for--and yet in the end we're not that different. Tell me, is your heart really still in the battle? Or did you leave it behind with the lies about Ozpin?"

"Shut up!" Yang cried. "How can you say that to me? Maybe I don't want this fight anymore, but I'm still here. Maybe I won't make it in the long run, but isn't it better to go down surrounded by people who actually care about you than hiding and just waiting for your number to be up? The world is just going to die anyway...at least we could go down on our feet. It'd be easier to run..." She frowned. "But if it's not possible, then might as well fight."

"That is not the attitude of someone who really believes in what they're doing, Yang," Raven said.

"How would you know? You never believe in anything!" Yang shot back.

Silence.

"Maybe you're right," Raven finally said, sounding tired. "Maybe I knew better than to believe in men like Ozpin. And maybe there's nothing else worth believing in, not on this planet. Truth is something, but truth is a tool for most people, not a thing they base their life on. And what reason is there to be different? When I didn't get an answer to that from Ozpin, I left. But I was always watching...and if I'd even seen any sign that that answer would have changed, maybe I would have changed my mind. But I didn't."

"That's bullcrap," Yang said. "You didn't leave because of Ozpin, you left because you're scared of Salem."

"Tai never told you I said he could come with me, did he?" Raven said.

Pause.

"What?" Yang said.

"Right when I first learned the truth." Raven smiled to herself in a pained way. "I actually thought that my team would want to hear it. I was naive back then--well, I was young and inexperienced. I told all of them. Tai and Qrow thought I was crazy, that I was just making up some reason to ditch them because I never liked being a huntress. Maybe I didn't, but if it had made the most sense, I'd have played Ozpin's game, but it was madness. Summer was a little less harsh about it, but she said it was foolish to give up and that we could win and do the impossible, because she believed or some crap like that... Ugh, Ruby turned out just like her mother. Not that it should surprise me. They were clueless. So I left. I checked in with Qrow--I warned him Beacon would fall. Did he ever tell you that?"

"No..." 

"Hmm, if we live through this, ask him," Raven said. "But it doesn't matter... He never listened to me. Not once. When Cinder found the camp, I knew we couldn't run without giving them something. It was a tough choice, but I redirected them to Qrow. That was right after you and Weiss left... Well, I did warn you."

"And you let us take the hit."

"I didn't have much choice," Raven said. "Do you think it would have changed a thing if I didn't do it? Would you not have found them at Haven? Would they not have come for the tribe? They would have killed the tribe first, found the Maiden, showed up at Haven, killed you all, got the Lamp, and no one could have been able to avert it. So in the long run, my plan saved the most lives. In the end, I didn't take the Lamp. Do you know the first person who has acknowledged that was Likstar? Figures it takes someone to show up who's...like that, to finally get some perspective on all this."

"Oh, sure, she's great," Yang said sarcastically.

"I'm not surprised you don't like her," Raven said. "You always had problems with authority.... Hmm, maybe that's my side. And that's kept me alive...but there's wisdom in recognizing someone's talents. She's not a fool... Can't imagine what she sees in all this that's worth fighting for."

"I mean, if your plan worked." Yang didn't want to talk about Shine. "It's not like you could have been sure it would. And even if it would have happened anyway, ditching us like that was still a low thing to do. You could have warned us. You could have fought with us."

"And that would have worked?" Raven said. "I can hear it now. 'Raven--'" She did a decent impression of Qrow's voice. "'--you have to tell us who the Spring Maiden is first. Why should I listen to anything you tell me? We're not making any plans together till you tell me the truth... Oh wait, it's you? How could you do that? Are you really on her side?'" She motioned flippantly. "And so on... Even if he'd listened, would he have adopted that plan? And let me tell you, selling you all out was the only thing that got Cinder to fall for it. A spiteful idiot, that woman. Watts didn't buy it... That's probably why he didn't show up for it. I'm sure he was tickled pink when Cinder didn't come back, but of course, she ruined that for us. I'll aim more carefully next time I kill her..." She glanced at her hands and then sighed again. "I mean, did I really betray everyone that much when you think about it? The trick worked..."

"Weiss almost died," Yang said.

"I don't see that as my fault," Raven said. "I didn't stand there and wait for it like a mindless idiot."

Yang got angry. "Don't talk about her that way."

"I meet a Schnee who could put up a decent fight, I'll be shocked," Raven said, ignoring that. "So there, that's the full story. I can't guarantee you'll like it."

"I don't," Yang said. Then she frowned. "If you really offered for Dad to leave with you, then why not just come back? I mean, at least for a visit."

"Qrow didn't want me to talk about my 'theories' to anyone," Raven said. "And I...guess I have a stubborn streak. I didn't care to show myself. I told Qrow if he wanted to talk, he knew where to find me. He never took me up on that. I got the message. I suppose anyone could have come if they wanted to. Communication works both ways. I don't know what Tai told you, but things are rarely that simple."

"He never told me that," Yang said. "He never mentioned any of this. I didn't even know he knew about it. Guess I should have figured it, though. He told me the other day, said he didn't want us to know because he didn't want us to have to get involved, but...we did...so..."

"He didn't want Qrow to tell Ruby about her eyes either," Raven said, "or you where to find me."

"He mentioned that," Yang said.

"But you did..." Raven said, "only to demand I send you to Qrow... Quite the impressive move, I have to say. I didn't know whether to be proud or annoyed by that kind of gall."

"It was efficient," Yang said.

"Or did you show up to see if I was as disappointing as they said?" Raven said.

Got her.

Yang frowned to herself.

"You could have at least talked to me," she said.

"And you would have asked me where I was and why," Raven said. "And that's not something I could answer, not to a child. Would it really have been better that way? I asked myself that many times. Never came out any differently."

"And what I want didn't matter?" Yang asked.

"I have to wonder if you really wanted to know," Raven said. "Did the answer really make you any happier?"

Yang was silent.

"Sometimes it's better to not ask things if you're not ready to hear them," Raven said. "And what you do with it, that's up to you... Once, I offered to answer your questions if you stayed...but you didn't. I take... Well, it was your choice. But I had made my choice already."

Yang didn't want to hear any more of this.

What did she want to hear anyway? What would have mattered?

I love you. I wanted you. I'm sorry I left you...

Like that would fix what was going on?

https://youtu.be/YzzrtPW-bEw

[AMV by Poltergeist, to "Never Love an Anchor" by The Crane Wives. It was scary how well this song fit both Raven and Willow. I thought about using it earlier with Willow, but I felt it fit Raven more, so I waited.]